The UN’s chief human rights official has accused Libya’s political leaders of suppressing dissent to retain power, leaving the nation divided and its people suffering from crisis, poverty, and misery.
In a report presented to the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday, Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, strongly condemned the methods used by Libya’s ruling elite to eliminate their political opponents and stay in control.
“A stalled political process, dominated by those benefiting from the status quo, is destroying the hopes of Libyans for a stable, open, and prosperous society—hopes they have held onto for too long with little to show for it,” he stated.
The high commissioner’s report reviews the human rights situation in Libya over the year since April 2023. It describes several alarming trends, such as a rise in arbitrary arrests and detentions, enforced disappearances, and related violations.
“Targeting of political opponents and dissenting voices has increased nationwide,” he noted.
Although the actual number of arrests is likely higher, his office has confirmed at least 60 cases of arbitrary detention of individuals peacefully expressing their political views.
“In some instances, detention led to extrajudicial killings,” he added.
“All of this hampers efforts to heal Libya’s fractured social and political environment, particularly since detentions were a major grievance in the 2011 uprising,” he remarked.
He warned that the lack of accountability for the violations and abuses committed 13 years ago remains a major obstacle to reconciliation and continues to drive conflict.
Libyan society is still divided 13 years after the overthrow of former dictator Muammar Qaddafi. The country is split between two rival administrations: the internationally recognized Government of National Unity in Tripoli and the Government of National Stability in the east.
Libya has not held presidential or parliamentary elections since 2014.
At the council, the high commissioner condemned the widespread violations and abuses committed with impunity against migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers by both state and non-state actors, often collaborating. His report details the horrific treatment these vulnerable people endure, including trafficking, torture, forced labor, extortion, starvation in intolerable detention conditions, mass expulsions, and the sale of human beings, including children.
“In March this year, a mass grave containing at least 65 bodies, presumed to be migrants, was discovered in southwestern Libya,” Türk stated.
Following the discovery of the mass grave in March, the International Organization for Migration reported that the circumstances of their deaths and their nationalities remain unknown, but it is believed they died while being smuggled through the desert.
The high commissioner stated, “As if this weren’t horrific enough, we are now following up on reports of another mass grave recently discovered in the desert area at the Libyan-Tunisian border.”
Türk called for investigations into these crimes, stating, “The responsibility for investigating these crimes lies squarely with the Libyan authorities. Reparations must be made, justice served, and nothing like this must ever happen again.”
Libya’s minister of justice, Halima Ibrahim Abdel Rahman, did not respond to the high commissioner’s accusations regarding the mass graves or the mistreatment of refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers.
The minister asserted that some comments “are not in line with reality,” and emphasized that “Libya prioritizes the rights of refugees, although many present in our country are here illegally.”
She also rejected the high commissioner’s allegations that human rights violations against political dissidents occur with impunity.
“The report does not fully reflect our judiciary’s efforts, as we have prosecuted numerous individuals accused of human rights violations, while ensuring all legal guarantees for detainees in facilities under the Ministry of Justice’s control,” she said.
Human rights chief Türk called on Libya to restore the rule of law, ensure accountability for human rights violations, and protect the right to freedom of assembly and association.
“The suppression of civil society organizations, political activists, journalists, and others is creating a climate of fear,” he said.
“This undermines the foundations necessary for Libya’s democratic transition, emboldens those who seek to disrupt it, and allows security actors to commit human rights violations with impunity,” he added.
